Travel Trends
Corporate Travel Tuesday with the Allied Leadership Council: Trends and Priorities

The business travel industry is fueled by innovative supplier companies who focus on serving the needs of both corporate travel programs and the travelers these corporate customers send out on the road for work trips.
In this podcast series, GBTA Allied Leadership Council members along with key executives from their companies discuss top company focus areas, the latest business travel trends they’re seeing, and what the future holds for corporate travel programs.
Tune in to this latest episode to hear Suzanne Neufang, GBTA CEO, in conversation with Hilton leaders, Frank Passanante, Senior Vice President & Global Head of Sales & HRCC, GBTA Allied Leadership Council Member and Marizel De La Torre, Vice President Global Distribution.
Travel Trends
Departure Lounge Pop-Ups : Holidata Lounge

giffgaff keeps members connected with up to 5GB of inclusive roaming in over 40 EU countries and selected destinations at no extra cost. To celebrate the launch of its new travel data add-ons, giffgaff welcomed travel lovers into the Holidata Lounge, complete with Roaming Reps, Pick ‘n’ Mix Travel Treats, a Ball Pool Bar and Air-obics sessions to stay flexible before boarding.
And when it comes to travel, according to giffgaff’s findings, more Brits are forgoing traditional family holidays and romantic getaways in favor of adventures with friends.
Travel Trends
AI boom boosts Nvidia despite ‘geopolitical issues’

Computer-chip designer Nvidia has been boosted by big tech firms keen to expand their AI capabilities, despite dealing with US and China tensions.
On Wednesday it reported $46.7bn revenue (£34.6bn) for the second three months of the year, a 56% surge from the same period in 2024.
But Nvidia, which has been caught in the crossfire of a trade war between the US and China, said it “continued to work through geopolitical issues” and its shares fell in after-hours trading.
The company has had to navigate the Trump administration’s fast-changing policies aimed at ensuring the US remains ahead in AI development.
Nvidia’s sophisticated chips have been an important part of the AI boom.
On Wednesday it said demand for its products remains strong, especially from big tech firms including Instagram-owner Meta, and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, as they race to build-out AI.
“The AI race is now on,” said Nvidia boss Jensen Huang in a call with analysts following the report’s release, saying spending from four big tech firms had doubled to $600bn per year.
“Over time, you would think that artificial intelligence would… accelerate GDP growth,” Huang said. “Our contribution to that is a large part of the AI infrastructure.”
The company’s revenue from data centres surged by 56% to $41.1bn, even as it fell slightly short of analysts’ expectations.
In July, Nvidia became the world’s first $4trn company.
The Santa Clara, California-based designer of artificial intelligence (AI) chips said revenue in the current quarter would probably grow to $54bn, topping the expectations of Wall Street analysts.
But Nvidia remains exposed to geopolitical tensions between the US and China.
The company announced in July that it would resume sales of its high-end artificial intelligence chips to China.
The move came after Huang successfully lobbied the Trump administration to reverse its ban on the sale of the company’s H20 chips, developed specifically for the Chinese market.
The administration had imposed the ban amid worries that the chips might benefit the Chinese military, in addition to AI developers based in the country.
On Wednesday, executives said that in late July, the US government had started reviewing licenses for sales of H20 chips designed specifically for Chinese customers.
But the company added that it had not shipped any H20s, despite some China-based customers receiving those licenses in recent weeks.
The US government is expecting to get 15% of the revenue generated from licensed H20 sales.
Nvidia did not include H20 in its outlook for the current quarter and said it was also lobbying the US government to approve the sale of its Blackwell ships to China, the largest market for chips.
In the meantime, analysts say, China is cultivating competition in the sector that Nvidia currently dominates.
“US export restrictions are fuelling domestic chipmaking in China,” said Emarketer analyst Jacob Bourne after the report’s release.
He said the question now is whether Nvidia’s “dive into robotics” will help it sustain its role as “the bellwether of the AI economy”.
Travel Trends
Europe tops Saudi summer travel as domestic bookings rise 5%

Travellers from Saudi Arabia are flocking to Europe this summer, with Baku, Sarajevo and Tbilisi among the hottest destinations, while searches for Milan have surged 25%.
That’s according to online travel marketplace Wego which also reports domestic travel in the kingdom is up 5% to reach 35% as Saudis discover new destinations on their doorstep.
When it comes to accommodation preferences, 80.5% of Saudi travellers are searching for hotels, 7% for apartments and 3.7% for aparthotels.
Luxury remains all-important, with 45% of searches focused on 4-star hotels and nearly 19% on 5-star properties.
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5 trends shaping Saudi travel this summer
Saudi Arabia targets 4.1 million visitors with summer campaign
Azerbaijan and Georgia among rising destinations
While London and Moscow remain popular European choices, shorter-haul routes to emerging cities in Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia stand out for their affordability, proximity and cultural appeal.
This reflects the findings of the Connecting Travel Insight Report, which lists Azerbaijan and Georgia in the top 10 outbound markets from the GCC region in 2025.
These destinations have seen increased flight frequencies and expanded seasonal services in 2025, with Flyadeal boosting flights from its Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam bases to Baku, Tbilisi, and Sarajevo since June.
Milan’s accessibility has also improved, with direct flights from Riyadh by Flynas and Saudia, and from Jeddah by Wizz Air Malta, making the Italian fashion capital a top choice for Saudi travellers.
Solo travellers dominate in Saudi
The 5% rise in domestic bookings this summer sees a split across destinations, with Jeddah, Riyadh, Abha, Dammam, Al Madinah and Jazan leading the way.
Riyadh bookings surged 19.4%, Jeddah rose 18.6%, Dammam jumped 23.1% and Al Madinah experienced a significant 37.3% increase.
Solo trips dominate Saudi travel at 68.3%, driven by “personal exploration, study, and business opportunities,” while couples account for 16% and families 8%.
This growth is partly fuelled by the Saudi Tourism Authority’s ongoing Colour Your Summer marketing campaign, which promotes the kingdom as a year-round destination, highlighting cooler mountain escapes in Aseer, Al Baha and Taif.
Launched with 600 new tourism products, the campaign aims to attract 4.1 million visitors.
Additionally, the Jeddah Season 2025 festival offers a diverse calendar of activities along the Red Sea coast, complemented by new hotel openings such as Rixos Obhur Jeddah, Saudi’s first true all-inclusive resort, and The Chedi Hegra, the first hotel in AlUla’s Unesco-listed Hegra.
Saudi Arabia welcomed 116 million visitors in 2024, an increase of 6.4% compared with 2023, and aims to reach 150 million by 2030.
For more information, visit www.wego.com
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